Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

When prize-winning war correspondent Tony Horwitz leaves the battlefields of Bosnia and the Middle East for a peaceful corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he thinks he's put war zones behind him. But awakened one morning by the crackle of musket fire, Horwitz starts filing front-line dispatches again this time from a war close to home, and to his own heart.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman

Like every other superhero, Wonder Woman has a secret identity. Unlike every other superhero, she has also has a secret history. Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore has uncovered an astonishing trove of documents, including the never-before-seen private papers of William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman's creator.

The Prince of Tides

Spanning 40 years, this is the story of turbulent Tom Wingo, his gifted and troubled twin sister Savannah, and their struggle to triumph over the dark and tragic legacy of the extraordinary family into which they were born.

From Sand and Ash

As children, Eva Rosselli and Angelo Bianco were raised like family but divided by circumstance and religion. As the years go by, the two find themselves falling in love. But the church calls to Angelo and, despite his deep feelings for Eva, he chooses the priesthood. Now, more than a decade later, Angelo is a Catholic priest and Eva is a woman with nowhere to turn. With the Gestapo closing in, Angelo hides Eva within the walls of a convent.

Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin

From one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians, a revelatory portrait of Benjamin Franklin' s youngest sister and a history of history itself. Like her brother, Jane Franklin was a passionate reader, a gifted writer, and an astonishingly shrewd political commentator.

America's First Daughter: A Novel

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, best-selling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph - a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

Bernard says:"Absolutely Loved This Story!"

Publisher's Summary

Set in boisterous, rebellious Boston on the eve of the American Revolution, Blindspot ingeniously weaves together the fictional stories of Stewart Jameson, a Scottish portrait painter and notorious libertine, and Fanny Easton, a fallen woman from one of Boston's most powerful families who disguises herself as a boy to become Jameson's defiant and seductive apprentice. Together with an African-born doctor, they investigate the death of the famous revolutionary leader Samuel Bradstreet.

What the Critics Say

"A beautifully crafted debut historical work that is at once a tender love story, a murder mystery, and a brilliant sociological and political portrait of a turbulent time." (Library Journal (starred review and Editor's Pick)

The narration is wonderful and as others have noted the characters are interesting, the historical details are fleshed out well but about half way through the book, I realized that this is a romance novel of the steamy sort...not my choice for listening. I don't think many can write sex scenes without appearing cliche & laughable. I finally got fed up and deleted the book before finishing.
I wished I had read Deborah's review before purchasing.

This novel started out with two fascinating characters: Stewart Jameson, a Scottish "face-painter" and escapee from debtors' prison who had made his way across the Atlantic; and Fannie Easton, a disgraced young woman from a well-to-do Boston family who, disguised as a boy, becomes Jameson's apprentice. The descriptions of colonial life and the pre-revolutionary politics were also intriguing, as was the murder mystery that ensues. But unfortunately, about 2/3 of the way through, the authors allowed their novel to descend into drek. A love story is to be expected in a historical novel, as well as the few obligatory passion scenes. But the last third focused on little but detailed sex scenes. We had to watch Fannie and Jamie going at it in every room, on every floor, against every wall, and on every piece of furniture in the house, in all its variations. Even what should have been a tender parting scene ends up with Jamie dragging Fannie into a stairwell for some "back-door" action. This was especially creepy after reading that the co-authors wrote the book by flashing emails back and forth; it was almost as if they were playing a game of "Can You Top This?" or, worse still, trying to get each other going. I'm no prude (I even liked On Chesil Beach), I just hate it when the sex is both unecessary to the story and obviously thrown in for mere titillation. The authors, two noted historians, certainly had more to offer us.

Would you consider the audio edition of Blindspot to be better than the print version?

yes - without the accent and humor of John Lee the story just wouldn't be the same.

What did you like best about this story?

The surprising love story

What does John Lee and Cassandra Campbell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

John Lee has a scottish(?) brogue that adds so much to his character, he reads the story as if it was actually happening at that moment. His accent draws you in and you can literally feel the passion building between the characters.

This is great historical fiction, evoking Boston on the brink of revolt through plot and carefully wrought detail while also telling a well-plotted tale. John Lee is always a pleasure to listen to as well.

I'm finally writing this review, after listening to it for the third time.

How to explain how much I loved this book? As an artist myself, the fact that they have historically accurate painters tools, techniques, and perceptions was amazing.

The voice actors who did the reading are a joy. It's lovely having a man and a woman reading the parts, and the fluidity of their accents and demeanors makes it easy to tell who's "speaking," even when one actor is reading the part of the other character.

A few of the others reviewers here were not as enthralled by the plotline. Well, let me set that straight. It's a historical romance (set in America, not England or Scotland, which was a real treat in-and-of-itself), there is cross-dressing (the female lead passes as a boy through much of the story), and there is a good deal of loving, sex positive scenes later in the book as the characters work out their issues. Yes, there are misunderstandings, yes there are awkward moments, no, it isn't all happy-fluffy-bunnies. Pretty much like life.

This won't be the kind of story for everyone, I'll grant that, but for someone wanting a humorous (yes, a laugh out loud in public hilarious) story that's worth listening to again and again, this story will be well worth your trouble.

Thank you Kamensky and Lepore for writing such a delightful tale, and for Lee and Campbell for bringing it to life.

This historically accurate novel (written by two eminent historians of the colonial era) is fast-paced and interesting. It really takes the listener back to colonial Boston. We feel we are there--exactly what a good historical novel should do. The two narrators (actors, really) are nothing short of superb! This is the best produced audiobook I have ever heard. My only complaint, and this has nothing to do with the audiobook version but has to do with the novel itself, is the amount of time devoted to the sexual relationship between the two protagonists in the second half. It's as if the authors have just discovered sex and can't put enough of it into the story. It really does get old after a while. But, having said that--and it is my only criticism--this is a fine novel and a joy to listen to. Time flies while the narrators spin this story. It would make a great book to listen to if you have a really long drive!